The New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is engaging in a shockingly devious attempt to persuade New Zealanders to change their flag.

There is one honest and straight forward way for the republican prime minister to ask New Zealanders whether they want to change their flag, the one so many served under and died for.

this would be for John Key to put up his preferred new flag or flags against the existing flag.

That is how John Howard amended the Australian Flag Act. This was after the Keating government admitted it would change the Australian flag prior to the centenary of federation without even asking the people.

Accordingly Australia's law was changed to require that any new flag or flags had to be approved by the people. To head off the sort of trick proposed for New Zealand, the Australian flag must ALWAYS be included in any vote.